In motor vehicles a series of information systems is installed which comprise a specific sensor or detector and associated display which is usually installed in the dashboard. Such displays are the speedometer, the temperature display of the cooling system, fuel tank display, oil pressure warning lamp, engine speed meter and a series of monitoring lights for the parking brake, doors which are open and the like. In addition there is a series of proposals for displaying general hazardous situations in the field of vision of the driver. These include displays which relate to distance warning systems (distance radar) and the like.
The disadvantage of such systems is that movements of the head and eyes are necessary in order to detect the visual signals and intellectual effort has to be expended since in an individual case it is necessary to recognize which hazardous situation or which deficiencies of the vehicle are being indicated by the respective display. In each case, the driver is distracted, or his attention is at least briefly impaired, by the perception of a visual display and the assignment of its significance. This results in a prolonged reaction time to changed traffic conditions. This is associated with considerable disadvantages in particular when driving in the dark or in the rain.
It is known from toys and gaming machines that haptic impressions can also be conveyed in addition to visual impressions. However, in gaming machines such (haptic) stimulations which relate to the sense of touch and sensory perceptions are as :a rule snot conveyed at the same time as the visual impressions. For this reason, such haptic stimulations are not a supplement to the visual impression but rather additionally induced sense impressions which are perceived as a consequence of or as an accompanying circumstance of the visual impressions.
On an Internet website www.wissenschaft.de/sixcms, “bild der wissenschaft online”, a technical report was published on Mar. 11, 2001 which describes how vehicle monitoring systems in the field of passenger car safety can be configured by means of a computer. In this context, the closing of the eyelids and the movements of the eyes of the driver are monitored and possible accidents as a result of the driver sleeping for a few seconds are prevented or other adverse effects on the driver are avoided. The system has what is referred to as a face model. It compares stored and current facial structures pixel by pixel with various resolutions. As a result, faces or parts of the face can be determined and compared with stored data.